Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Montreal: prices, rent, and living guide
Ranked number 22 on Time Out's global coolest neighbourhoods list, the Plateau is the postcard Montreal of exterior staircases, murals, terrasses, and a walk score of 92.
Young professionalsCar free livingStudents
Typical house
$1.15M
Typical condo
$585K
One bedroom rent
$1,750/mo
Walk Score
92
Transit 88 · Bike 96
Known for: Exterior spiral staircases, murals, and ranking 22nd on Time Out's global list. Spiral staircases, murals, and the coolest neighbourhood in the world.
Prices and rent in Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
A typical Le Plateau-Mont-Royal house costs about $1,150,000 and a typical condo about $585,000.
Estimated price by unit size
| Condo | Estimate | House | Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $421,000 | 2 bed | $943,000 |
| 1 bed | $585,000 | 3 bed | $1,150,000 |
| 2 bed | $796,000 | 4 bed | $1,415,000 |
| 3 bed | $1,041,000 | 5+ bed | $1,725,000 |
Estimated monthly rent
| Unit | Monthly rent |
|---|---|
| Bachelor | $1,370 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,750 |
| 2 bedroom | $2,240 |
| 3 bedroom | $2,990 |
Unit-size prices and rents are scaled from one benchmark per neighbourhood and are estimates, not appraisals. Compare Le Plateau-Mont-Royal with the rest of Montreal in the best neighbourhoods in Montreal guide.
Who Le Plateau-Mont-Royal suits
Renters, students, and young professionals who want the densest café and terrasse culture in Canada and a Walk Score of 92, and who will not own a car.
Who it is wrong for
Families with strollers, given the exterior staircases, car owners, and anyone who needs quiet during the summer festival season.
Pros
- Walk Score of 92 with the densest café, terrasse, and bistro culture in Canada
- Three Orange Line stations plus extensive bike infrastructure
- Mont-Royal park and Parc La Fontaine both immediately accessible
Cons
- The most expensive rental market on the island and increasingly priced out for locals
- Parking is close to impossible and permits are heavily oversubscribed
- Summer street festivals close major roads for weeks at a time
Living in Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
Getting around
Mont-Royal, Laurier, and Sherbrooke stations, Orange Line. Walk Score 92, Transit Score 88, Bike Score 96.
Safety
Busy and generally safe with excellent street activity. Bike theft is the most common issue by a wide margin.
Restaurants
Among the densest in North America: bistros, terrasses, bring-your-own-wine restaurants and cafés on nearly every block.
Shopping
Independent fashion, records, books and design along Mont-Royal, Saint-Denis and Saint-Laurent, with almost no chain presence.
Within a short walk or transit hop
- Parks
- Parc La Fontaine, Mount Royal Park, Parc Laurier, Parc Jeanne-Mance
- Library
- Bibliothèque du Plateau-Mont-Royal, Bibliothèque Mordecai-Richler
- Recreation
- Parc La Fontaine skating, Centre du Plateau, Mount Royal trails
- Groceries
- Marché Jean-Talon nearby, PA Supermarché, Boulangerie Guillaume
- Schools
- École Le Plateau, Collège Mont-Saint-Louis, UQAM nearby
Safety text is a qualitative description of the area, not crime statistics. Scores are approximate and vary within the neighbourhood.
Renting in Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
A one bedroom runs about $1,750 a month, and a two bedroom about $2,240.
The archetypal Montreal rental neighbourhood: the vast majority of residents rent, mostly in walk-up plexes with the exterior staircases. Supply is deep, prices have risen sharply, and July 1 still governs the calendar.
Where Le Plateau-Mont-Royal is
Le Plateau-Mont-Royal: frequently asked questions
What is the Plateau-Mont-Royal like?
Montreal's most populous neighbourhood and its most photographed: exterior spiral staircases, murals, Mont-Royal Avenue and Saint-Denis, and a population 37 percent of which is aged 18 to 34. The vast majority rent. It is dense, loud in summer and endlessly walkable.
Is it better to stay in Old Montreal or the Plateau?
Old Montreal for architecture and the tourist experience; the Plateau for actually living somewhere. The Plateau has the restaurants residents use, the parks, the metro and the prices; Old Montreal has cobblestones and a much thinner everyday life.
What are the downsides of living on the Plateau?
Parking is close to impossible, the exterior staircases are genuinely dangerous in February, rents have risen sharply, and Mont-Royal and Saint-Laurent are loud into the night. Residents who leave usually cite the first and the last.
How much does it cost to live on the Plateau?
The vast majority of Plateau residents rent, and the borough's average rents have risen sharply over the past five years. It remains cheaper than comparable density in Toronto or Vancouver, which is why the comparison keeps getting made.
Is the Plateau safe?
Yes. It is dense, busy and well overlooked, with property crime and bike theft the recurring issues. It is one of the safer dense neighbourhoods in North America by any reasonable measure.
Nearby Montreal neighbourhoods
Mile End
Bagels, bookshops, and the city's densest creative economy
House $1.25M · Condo $620K· Walk 94
1.6 km from Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
Young professionalsCar free livingStudents
Le Village
North America's largest gay village, and the cheapest central rent in the city
House $720K · Condo $430K· Walk 96
1.9 km from Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
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Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie
Green spaces, local shops, and unhurried joie de vivre
House $880K · Condo $480K· Walk 90
2.2 km from Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
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Outremont
Francophone counterpart to Westmount, elegant and residential
House $1.9M · Condo $700K· Walk 86
2.5 km from Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
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Similar to Le Plateau-Mont-Royal elsewhere in Montreal
La Petite-Patrie
Jean-Talon Market, Little Italy, and Beaubien's cafés
House $860K · Condo $475K· Walk 93
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Downtown Montreal
The only Canadian downtown that still feels like a neighbourhood at night
House $1.4M · Condo $620K· Walk 96
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Old Montreal
Cobblestones, seventeenth century stone, and the Old Port
House $1.6M · Condo $760K· Walk 95
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Parc-Extension
Canada's densest square kilometre, and its most contested gentrification story
House $800K · Condo $400K· Walk 88
Best valueFirst time buyersStudents